Sharpe's longclaw (''Macronyx sharpei'') is a passerine bird in the longclaw family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and wagtails. It is endemic to Kenya. It is 16–17 cm long, with upperparts heavily marked with buff and rufous streaks, yellow underparts, and white outertail feathers in flight. This bird is endangered, with an estimated population of less than 20,000. Its grassland habitat is being replaced by cultivation and woodlots. The common name and Latin binomial name commemorate the British zoologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe.

Taxonomy

Sharpe's longclaw was described by the English ornithologist

Frederick John Jackson Sir Frederick John Jackson, (17 February 1860 – 3 February 1929) was an English administrator, explorer and ornithologist. Early years Jackson was born at Oran Hall, near Catterick, North Yorkshire in 1860. He attended Shrewsbury School ...

in 1904 from specimens collected in the Mau Plateau area of Kenya. He coined the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Macronyx sharpei''. Both the common name and the specific epithet honour the English ornithologist and museum curator Richard Bowdler Sharpe. The Sharpe's longclaw is a member of the family Motacillidae, which includes the pipits and wagtails. Some ornithologists place the species with the yellow-breasted pipit in the separate genus ''

Hemimacronyx ''Hemimacronyx'' is a proposed genus of birds in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It contains two species that are usually treated as belonging to two larger genera, ''Macronyx'' (in the case of Sharpe's longclaw) and ''Anthus'' (in the ...

''. The two species are closely related and form a superspecies. This genus, along with the

golden pipit The golden pipit (''Tmetothylacus tenellus'') is a distinctive pipit of dry country grassland, savanna and shrubland in eastern Africa. It is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and has occurred as a vagrant to O ...

in the genus ''Tmetothylacus'' and the longclaws form an exclusively African clade within the family, separate from the true pipits in the genus '' Anthus'' and the wagtails.

Distribution and habitat

The Sharpe's longclaw is found in the highlands of west and central Kenya. It has a restricted distribution, occurring on the northern slopes of

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...

, the southern slopes of the Aberdares, on the Gishu, Mau and Kinangop Plateaus around the Rift Valley, and the Kenyan slopes of

Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.

(possibly the Ugandan slopes as well). The natural habitat of the species is open treeless grassland with short and often tussocky grasses. It ranges between in altitude, although more commonly below . It occurs at higher altitudes than the yellow-throated longclaw, with little overlap between the ranges of the two species. It is generally non- migratory, but will travel short distances when its habitat becomes too dry.

Behaviour

Diet and feeding

The Sharpe's longclaw feeds on insects, particularly grasshoppers and beetles. Other invertebrates are taken as well. Within its range it has a higher feeding rate in grasslands with tussocks. The species forages alone or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups.

Breeding

The Sharpe's longclaw is a

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...

and solitary breeder that defends a territory. The breeding season is during or after the rains, from March to June, September to October and in December. The species has a brief aerial breeding display, where the bird flies up and then drops, singing rapidly as it drops. The nest is a well-made cup of dried grass lined with roots and placed near the ground at the base of a grass tussock or under a shrub or plant. Between two and three eggs are laid.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q21964223, from2=Q390081 Sharpe's longclaw Endemic birds of Kenya Sharpe's longclaw